Picker stick mechanism



March 20, 1934 SHELTON 1,951,562 I PICKER STICK MECHANISM Filed June 17, 1932 lll llln 14 MW I Swuvmtoz a9- 5 JfieZ/On.

(n11 I Q Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HCKER STICK MECHANISM Andrew B. Shelton, Huntsville, Ala.

Application June 1'1, 1932, Serial No. 617,844

6 Claims. (Cl. 1391 50) This invention relates to picker stick mechanism and has for its object the provision of a very simple and inexpensive device whereby the parallelism of the shoe and the stand will be maintained and the parallel guides now gener-. ally employed may be eliminated. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and consists in certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the lower por- -tion of a picker stick and the parts associated therewith showing my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same,

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the guide bracket.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the picker stick, the lower portion of which is shown and which is of the usual construction. The lower portion of the picker stick passes through a longitudinal slot in the stand or support 2 which is adapted to be secured tothe lay rocker shaft 3 in the usual manner. The stand or support 2, in the present instance, is provided with an offset depending hanger 4 in the lower end of which is carried a bolt 5 which supports a roller 6, and disposed about the bolt is a torsion spring '7 one end of which is fast to the hanger 4 and the opposite end of.which is disposed within the hollow roller 6 and extends through an opening in the periphery of the same to be engaged in one end of the strap 8 which extends therefrom about the lower end of the icker stick and then upwardly along the outer e ge of the stick to be secured thereto in the usual manner. The picker stick also passes through the usual shoe or rocker 9 which has its sole resting upon the upper side of the stand 2, as will be. understood, to rock thereon. The shoe includes an upstanding portion 10 which is flanged at its sides to partly embrace the irmer edge of the picker stick, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 1, and a bolt 11 is inserted through the upstanding portion of the shoe and through the picker stick and the strap 8 to secure the parts together inthe usual manner. Disposed between the upstanding portion of the shoe and the picker stick and extending downwardly through slots in the shoe and in the stand 2 is a tongue 12 which also partly embraces the picker stick within the shoe and is secured in place by a set bolt 13 mounted in the shoe and bearing against the tongue, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The lower portion of the tongue, below the stand 2, is formed with lugs 14 on its opposite sides which will impinge against the'underside of the shoe when the lower end of the picker stick is rocked outwardly and will thereby limit the oscillation of the stick in an obvious manner. Fitted upon the bolt 11,

at the outer side of the upper end of the strap 8, is a bracket, shown in Fig. 3 and designated as an entirety by the reference numeral 15. This bracket includes a side plate 16 which is adapt- 66 ed to lie against the side of the stand 2 and the side of the shoe 9, as shown. At the outer end of this plate 16 there rises therefrom an arm 17 which merges into an outer plate 18 disposed transversely to the plate 16 and bearing against the end of the strap 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. An opening 19 is formed through the plate 18 and receives the end of the bolt '11, a nut 20 being mounted on the end of the bolt to be turned home against the end plate 18 to 76 secure all of the parts firmly in place. The end plate 18 is provided, on its inner face, with flanges 21 which partly embrace the edge of the picker stickso that the bracket will be properly disposed relative to the stick and will be prevented from 80 twisting thereon.

When the upper end of the picker stick rocks inwardly, a pull is exerted through the strap 8 upon the spring 7 which tends to wind'the same and thereby increase the tension thereof so that the 86 stick will be subjected to a gradually increasing force and will not be permitted to rock inwardly in such a sharp manner as might tend to damage ,the shuttle or the shuttle box. When the force acting to rock the picker stick inwardly ceases, 90 the spring 7 will at once expand or unwind and will thereby pull through the strap 8 upon the lower end of the stick so as to rock the stick outwardly and will hold it outwardly until the oper- A ating force again acts. The side plate 16 of the bracket 15 constitutes a guide to prevent lateral movement of the picker stickand maintain it in its proper relation to the stand or support 2'during its oscillation, and, as the picker stick consequently runs true, the life of all the parts is increased. This side plate will move with the picker stick and the shoe and will always bridge the. line of contact between the shoe and-the stand and thereby maintain them in the proper parallel relation, even if the positioning lug upon the stand be broken off. This guide bracket is exceedingly simple and may be easily applied. Should it be broken, a new bracket may be substituted at a V trifling cost and without a prolonged stoppage of the 100m. The use of this guide bracket makes unnecessary the use of the usual parallel guides which pass about the shoe and are exceedingly apt to be broken through contact of the shoe therewith.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a detachable parallel guide for picker sticks of looms comprising a bracket having spaced attaching flanges for engagement with one side of a picker stick and provided with a side plate disposed at substantially right angles to the flanges and adapted to overlie and bear against the outer edges of the rocker shoe and stand of the loom.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a detachable parallel guide for picker sticks of looms comprising a body portion having spaced flanges for engagement with one side of a picker stick and provided with a depending arm terminating in a longitudinally disposed side plate of greater width than the arm and adapted to overlie and bear against the outer edges of the rocker shoe and stand of the loom.

- 3. As a new article of manufacture, an attachable parallel guide for picker sticks of looms comprising a body portion having spaced flanges adapted to bear against one side of a picker stick and provided with an opening for the reception of a fastening device, said body portion having one edge thereof bent outwardly and downwardly to form a depending arm terminating in 2. iongitudinally disposed plate adapted to overlie and bear against the rocker shoe and stand of a' loom for preventing lateral movement of the shoe with respect to the stand.

4. In a loom, the combination with a picker stick, rocker shoe and stand therefor, of a parallel guide bracket independent of the stand detachably secured to the picker stick and provided with a lateral ofiset portion terminating in a longitudinally disposed side plate overlapping and bearing against the outer edges ofthe shoe and stand for preventing lateral movement of one relative to the other.

5. In a loom, the combination with a stick, rocker shoe and stand therefor, of a heel strap secured to the picker stick, a parallel guide bracket bearing against the heel strap and provided with flanges embracing the picker stick, said'bracket being provided with a depending arm offset with respect to the flanges and terminating in a longitudinally disposed side plate adapted to overlap and bear against the shoe and stand, and a fastening device extending through the bracket,

heel strap and picker stick between said flanges.

picker 

